Planning For Wedding Day Portraits | Los Angeles Wedding Photographer

For months you’ve been planning your wedding and all you’ve been dreaming about is that gorgeous golden glow Los Angeles gives you during some of the most majestic sunsets you’ve ever seen.

Hours of your life have been dedicated to Pinterest and Google searching “Los Angeles Wedding Photography” and all you see are these incredible couples portraits where it looks like the couples is being hugged by warm sunlight.

So, how do YOU get those photos?

I’ve outlined some tips to help you plan for your wedding day portraits.

Know The Best Time Of Day

As a Los Angeles wedding photographer I work with each one of my couples to plan out when their couples portraits will take place.

I usually suggest about an hour before sunset. This is when the sun is moving towards the horizon and it will be in a perfect position to light the sky and all of Los Angeles in beautiful bronze colors.

While this light is beautiful and very flattering it can be very harsh and distracting if you are not in the right position. When working with your wedding photographer make sure you emphasis how important these photos are to you.

Ask About A Back Up Plan

Of course, when Mother Nature is cooperating and gives you a wonderful sunset there is not much to fret about.

What happens when its a cloudy or rainy day?

While these types of days are not too common in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas, they do happen.

You want to make sure your photographer is prepared for this and can either create that sunset light for you or has a back up plan that is to your liking.

Photographing weddings in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas means I have to be versatile and prepare for all kinds of terrain. However, I am also well versed in the magic of flash and how it can change the mood of an image.

Take the two images below as an example. These images were taken about 3 seconds apart. One with out flash (on the left) and one with flash to emulate sunset light (on the right).

This bride really wanted to have sunset light but there was a HUGE storm on this day. Go figure!

Using the knowledge I have as a Los Angeles wedding photographer I was able to make magic happen for this couple.

They were very happy!

Communicate Clearly

Ultimately, your photographer will only know that you are dreaming about these romantic images if you are both communicating about your needs and wants.

I have a full set of scheduled emails and phone calls with my couples to make sure we are on the same page and that I am meeting their expectations.

If you put together 5-6 of your favorite wedding photos and send them to your photographer as inspiration, not required shots, this will greatly impact how your couples portrait session will go.

Crystal is a Los Angeles Wedding Photographer that values telling your story through authentic and timeless images that will last forever. She photographs weddings and engagements in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas.